Filner's first 100 days: Change, feuds

New mayor has ruffled feathers challenging status quo

San Diego  The day after he was elected San Diego’s 35th mayor, Bob Filner said the people who voted for him didn’t want the status quo.

“They elected an administration that’s going to change things,” Filner said Nov. 7.

On that count — without a doubt — Filner has delivered.

The Democratic mayor’s first 100 days in office have marked a new era at City Hall that has seen Filner challenge how city business is conducted, feud publicly with his fellow elected officials and, most notably, battle with hoteliers over tourism marketing revenue.

“Over the last two decades, San Diego has not done a good job in keeping all of our neighborhoods thriving like downtown San Diego,” Filner said Tuesday in a statement. “It’s because some of our elected officials lost sight or were blinded by special interests or had tendencies toward complacent governing. … I’m here to change that.”

Filner’s supporters — labor leaders, environmentalists and neighborhood activists — have cheered his most every move saying it’s a welcome change that a politician is willing to take on San Diego’s business establishment and other powerful interests.

Filner’s detractors — mainly from the business community and Republican circles — say the mayor is hurting the local economy over the tourism issue and that City Hall is more partisan than ever under his watch.

To be sure, 100 days in office is an arbitrary point to review any politician’s achievements, but it has often been used as a measuring stick.

Filner’s predecessor, Jerry Sanders, had little to show for his efforts at that point in his tenure although he had introduced proposed ballot measures to put certain services up for competitive bid and require voter approval for any increase in employee pension benefits, both of which won voter approval in November 2006.

While Filner understandably remains far from fulfilling the promises he made during last year’s campaign, he has made notable progress in several areas in his first few months. Here’s where his promises stand at 100 days:

Financial stewardship

Document

Document

What he said: Even though Filner opposed an overhaul of the pension system approved by voters last June, he said he would implement one of its key provisions — a five-year freeze on the pensionable pay of current city workers. He also tempered expectations once in office by noting the city faced an estimated $40 million deficit in its $1.1 billion operating budget.

What he’s done: City finances have improved since then with a $5.5 million surplus for the current year although the future deficit persists. He’s proposed spending part of that money on public safety and homeless issues even though the independent budget analyst has said the prudent route would be to save that cash to help with the looming deficit.

What’s next: Filner is currently in negotiations with the city’s six labor groups on new pacts set to begin July 1. Getting agreement among city and union leaders on the parameters of a five-year deal — Filner’s goal — won’t be easy. How that is resolved will play a large role in how Filner shapes the annual budget proposal he is required to release by April 15.

Open government

What he said: Filner promised that his administration would make San Diego the most open and transparency government around.

What he’s done: He hired former City Councilwoman Donna Frye as his director of open government and Filner has made countless public appearances, including once-a-month meet-and-greets with the public at City Hall. However, the Mayor’s Office has been slow to respond to public records requests, doesn’t provide a schedule of his public events and rarely responds to media inquiries.

What’s next: Filner has acknowledged he’s been a bit tightfisted with the information flowing out of City Hall and said he is working on delegating authority.

Port

What he said: Filner has made expanding port operations the central plank of his economic plan. He wants to make trade a priority, create 5,000 jobs and increase the region’s exports by 33 percent by 2020.

What he’s done: The mayor won a standoff with City Council President Todd Gloria over port appointments. He vetoed the selections saying he wanted to revamp the process and craft a new policy direction for the port.

What’s next: A council committee has crafted a new policy at Filner’s direction that awaits City Council approval. Once that’s in place, the city could then fill its two Port Commission vacancies.

Medical marijuana

What he said: During the campaign, Filner said he supported the use of marijuana for medical purposes but that a previous city ordinance on dispensaries put up too many bureaucratic hurdles.

What he’s done: In January, Filner told medical marijuana advocates that he would craft a new ordinance within 30 days. That didn’t happen but he continues to work with them on proposed language.

What’s next: A City Council hearing is set for March 25 on the medical marijuana issue although it’s unclear whether the proposed ordinance will be considered at that time.

Civic Projects

What he said: Filner opposed the financing plan for the convention center expansion and the $45 million plan to remove cars from Balboa Park’s Plaza de Panama but said he’d implement them if they passed legal scrutiny.

What’s happened: The Balboa Park plan was blocked by a judge and is in limbo. A judge upheld the convention center plan.

What’s next: Filner is developing an alternative plan to remove cars from the Balboa Park plaza in response to court ruling.

Managed competition

What he said: Filner has long been skeptical of the benefits of managed competition, a process that pits city workers against private contractors in bidding to provide certain services.

What he’s done: Filner immediately halted all progress on managed competition when he took office. He reserved course in February by allowing previously awarded bids to be implemented.

What’s next: The future of managed competition remains in question under Filner. He wants to audit the results of the program before proceeding with more services, such as trash hauling.

Planning

What he said: Filner has promised to shift the city’s long-time focus on development in downtown San Diego and put the emphasis on neighborhoods he says have been neglected.

What he’s done: Not much has been done at this stage in Filner’s tenure although he’s in the process of creating a Sustainable Neighborhoods Department to handle city planning.

What’s next: Filner hasn’t outlined in detail what path this new planning approach will take although it’s probably safe to assume he plans to shift spending priorities to neighborhoods.

Homelessness

What he said: While in Congress, Filner successfully pushed through an initiative to eliminate homelessness among the nation’s veterans within five years. He has been less specific about how to tackle homelessness in San Diego although it is a high priority.

What he’s done: His fiancée, Bronwyn Ingram, is leading the charge on homeless issues by raising money and volunteering through her Team First Lady initiative. He also won council approval Monday to spend $400,000 to build two public restrooms and $300,000 to keep the 220-bed winter homeless shelter open an additional three months.

What’s next: Filner has yet to released a comprehensive plan to attack the problem.

Leadership

What he said: During the campaign, Filner touted his ability to work with others in stints on the school board, City Council and Congress over 30-plus years in politics and said his colleagues often put him in leadership positions.

What he’s done: Filner has butted heads with Gloria, the council president, over appointments, lashed out at SANDAG officials for spending millions on PR and clashed with City Attorney Jan Goldsmith over legal issues.

What’s next: Filner’s critics and supporters have pointed to the adjustment period for the new mayor in shrugging off his criticisms, but it remains to be seen if Filner will soften his in-your-face political style as he moves forward.